Lawyer-politico forms own lobbying shop

Tom Lee, a lawyer, lobbyist and political campaign veteran, has left powerhouse law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis to start his own public affairs and lobbying business, Blair Boulevard LLC.

Lee, 47, said he also plans to keep practicing law a bit, but he’ll focus on the government affairs side, attempting to offer something the city’s other lobbyists don’t always emphasize in their strategies to influence legislation and public policy.

“What I hope to do is to work with businesses and entities to help form coalitions that will be able to accomplish what sometimes a standing industry group can’t,” he said. “You’ve got to bring lots of people to the table.”

He said he plans to be in business by himself at first and will hire other employees once the operation proves successful. He hopes to be up and running “within the week.”

“I’m excited about being an entrepreneur,” he said.

Lee, a Vanderbilt Law School graduate, spent 13 years at Waller Lansden after a career in newspapers and TV news and said he left the firm on good terms, thankful for the opportunities it gave him. He also was an adviser to Mayor Karl Dean’s 2007 campaign and to former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.’s unsuccessful Senate bid in 2006.